On a hiatus

For those who are following my blog, I have to apologize for the MAJOR LACK of updates. Life got the better of me and I've been really really busy with my studies/research and it tires me whenever I reach home. So I'd like to take a break and even if I do revive this, I'll do it in a smaller portion and not every episode like I did before. That was crazy now that I think about it. I mean, taking snapshots of the episodes took some time and wondering how to sum up how I felt about each episode of different shows, that's not easy task.

Anyways, thanks a lot for visiting and following. I'm still watching Japanese dramas, so don't worry, I'll never abandon it, I just don't have as much free time like I used to, to write reviews on daily basis.
Thank you again for the support. I might pop in several reviews once in a while, for shows I really think should recommend or I have strong feeling about.
Till then!

Legal High [ep 1]

Casts:
Sakai Masato – Komikado Kensuke
Aragaki Yui – Mayuzumi Machiko

Where do I begin with this show? It’s so over-the-top and exaggerating that just left you wanting for more! Yes, I love it. Sakai is amazing as this over-confident lawyer who’s so full of himself. He thinks everybody’s lower than him and can’t help but looks down on them. As if to make things worse, he only considers accepting business if the clients can pay his required amount of money which most of time are crazy lot. Millions of yen. Normally in real life, somebody like him would piss us off, we’d surely think this type of person is the worst ever, but in this show, he’s the main reason I watch it. Although he’s pompous and self-absorbed, his skills in law are still admirable. He’s not all talk and useless, in fact, his confidence has solid grounds to be respected. The only thing he should change is his attitude perhaps.

As for the rookie lawyer, yes, as always, without fail, we have a rookie in dramas. Whether it’s rookie cop or rookie doctor, it’s always a ROOKIE. It’s so cliché that most of us would just roll our eyes but it depends on the actor/actress to present the rookie. Most of the time, it’s the same. There’s nothing different in Aragaki Yui’s character, Mayuzumi, who works at a renowned law firm and decides to ask for Komikado’s help when her own boss denied her request for a second trial of the client, whom she believes to be innocent and falsely charged with murder. I find rookies represented in dramas are always similar. It’s either they’re full of spirit and very enthusiastic to help someone or the other way round. Protagonists like these are old tactics so I don’t find anything much to desire from them.

Well, let’s look into the first episode.We know rookies can come from two types as mentioned earlier. Mayuzumi is the first. She's so kind as to help the guy she believes is innocent so much so that she doesn't mind paying all the consultation fees worth 30 million yen to Komikado straight from her wallet. I can only agree 100% with Komikado when he said she's stupid for doing so. A normal person in his/her right mind will not risk that much money for a stranger! He's a convicted killer, no less. Of course, you can start your argument that he's a victim in the unjust law and may spend the rest of his life in jail for something he didn't do, while the real killer is out there probably targeting his next. But seriously?

But nothing stops Komikado when money flashes right in front of him. His weakness? MONEY. He's not all perfect with his skills though, the part where he never thought the opposition could've used dirty tricks actually kinda propelled him to the abyss. The part where he got drunk and channeled his anger to Mayuzumi was hilarious but you do feel a tinge of pity for him.

Another thing to notice, the butler. I'd call him the butler, instead of secretary. Why? Because secretaries don't cook or do other housework. Despite being a humble butler, he seems to be great in a lot of things - cuisine, calligraphy and even brain mathematics (which I have to rely on calculators nowadays). No, he's definitely not just any butler. He must have his history, but that will have to wait. The case itself, nothing to shout about. However, I do find oamikado's words true at the end when Mayuzumi began to wonder if she has truly saved an innocent man. Komikado replied saying as lawyers, they'll never know the truth.

Rating: 8.5/10

A great opening for the drama. Hilarious. I still need time to get used to both Sakai and Aragaki's hairstyles though.

Mou Ichido Kimi ni, Propose [ep 1]

I'm a huge fan of Yutaka Takenouchi and I shall not make that a secret or be quiet about it lol. I've liked him since his carefree turned a good responsible guy back in Shotgun Marriage or Dekichatta Kekkon. That was in 2001. And ever since, I've been trying my best to follow his dramas/ movies, whenever I have the chance to get my hands on them. Funny thing is I'm sure a lot of his fans have been one since his Long Vacation or Beach Boys days...I guess I was a bit late in the scene but no regrets. All I'm hoping is that he keeps on acting! Despite his old age xD He's actually 41 now if not mistaken. Still as handsome as ever!!!

In Mou Ichidou Kimi ni, Propose or in other words would mean, Proposing to You, Once Again,  he plays an ace mechanic (Miyamoto Haru) despite having the lowest sales at his workplace. He's married to a librarian, Kanako (Wakui Emi), and is having a normal happily married couple's life until one day, Kanako suffered from subarachnoid hemorrhage (as taken from wiki), and had to undergo operation, which was successful. However, it ended up with her having amnesia. She recognizes her family members but not Haru.

Having lost her memories of Haru as she was before she met him, Haru is left with a wife who doesn't recall him. It's heartbreaking to watch how Haru has to contain himself and try to stay calm in front of his own wife of 4 years. For example, they were chit-chatting happily for the day and the next, you see Haru having to speak like he's talking to a stranger. The scene when they first got back to their house was pretty sad too. I can only imagine Kanako's feelings, living with a stranger who is supposed to be her husband.

I pity Haru a lot whenever he smiles and being optimistic about the scenario but we know deep inside, he's suffering.

Kanako: I don't remember five years of my life. I don't remember getting married. I look at the pictures, there's a me I don't know, smiling at places I've never been.

Haru: Kanako, I'll do whatever it takes. What happened the last five years. What you've done. We'll get it back piece by piece together.

Kanako: That's not it. Whatever happened, whatever I've done, that's not the problem. No matter how much I try, I just can't remember. Any feelings I've had for you, I just can't remember. So, I'm sorry.

The pain Haru has to go through! Well, Kanako has her own problems and demons to fight too, but I just felt so sorry for Haru! But that's not stopping him from trying to get her back. He stumbled upon her diaries at home the night Kanako decides to go back to her family's house to stay. I really like the whole diary reading scene, no matter how old and overused it is. Some cliche just works well and in this particular drama, it serves its purpose. And so Haru decides to help her remember little by little, how they met and etc.

Sakura blooms are beautiful!

Haru decides to start all over and win her heart again. Good idea Haru! Now you can repent and correct your past mistakes lol. More Yutaka below!

Rating: 8.5/10

It's great to have Yutaka back in love dramas! It's weird when you think about how good he is in them but in reality still a bachelor.

Kagi no Kakatta Heya [ep 1-2]

Meet the casts:

Ohno Satoshi – Enomoto Kei

Toda Erika – Aoto Junko

Sato Koichi –Serizawa Gou

Fans of Arashi or Ohno specifically should not miss this drama. I think it’s one of those that he fits perfectly in his character. I’m neither a fan of his or Arashi and to tell the truth, I didn’t enjoy his acting much in his previous drama, Maou. However, his role in this really attracts me mainly because of the nature of the character of Enomoto itself. Ohno portrays him excellently with the expressionless face and shuts the world out by constantly listening to music. I find this similar to what I was doing a couple of years ago or when I want to concentrate in something without distraction. I’d pop the earphones on and not care about what goes around me for hours. And it’s true that you can’t hear when other people calling you unless they raise their voice or pat you on your back. Maybe because of how Enomoto acts is kind of similar to what I was doing, I find it relatable. However, another major trait he has that I don’t lol, would be him being a genius in solving locked keys.

He works as in a security company and by chance meets Aoto when she accidently locked her lawyer boss inside a safe room. When everybody thinks the door can’t be opened till the next working day, Enomoto miraculously opened it much to the awe of Aoto, of course because he just saved her career lol. Besides Ohno, I like the other casts, Toda Erika and Sato Koichi. I like this combination of the young and old working together. Sato is like a senior in the entertainment world and I like him ever since I watched him in Amalfi (another recommended movie). There’s something about the way he acts, the way he present the role that makes him amiable and respected, no matter whether it’s the villain role or protagonist. Not to mention, the bickering scenes and disagreement between him and Aoto are very funny and entertaining.

Then we have Aoto (Toda Erika) who is a newbie that is under Serizawa’s care at his law firm. Aoto has a huge sense of curiosity and maybe a little too good-hearted towards clients who have problems, so she always ends up helping them even though it has nothing to do with law itself. This is also the reason Serizawa scolds her but still ends up giving in to her undying spirit.

Toda Erika has a niche in the comic relief department.

I won’t go in details with the cases because they’re basically formulaic but I love how they try to explain in detail or in layman terms to us who know nothing about keys.I mean, I have no idea what Enomoto was blabbering about when he explains how certain concept works to both Aoto and Serizawa. Not to mention, when Enomoto is excited or gets very intrigued with something, he'd speak really fast. Another trait why he's loveable haha.

He can even make scale figures! - one of the highlights of the show


They always end up working together in solving murder cases in locked rooms.



Rating: 8/10

I do enjoy the show so far, definitely continuing. Like I mentioned, being only my second Ohno drama, his acting as Enomoto is good. And then we'd be wondering will we ever get to see him smile xD The pairing of boss Serizawa and junior Aoto, awesome!

ATARU [ep1]

ATARU is a bizarre drama with odd characters. Okay maybe Nakai Masahiro is the only one who gets the privilege to act as the odd one here. Yup! He's ATARU or Chokozai (a name he gives himself when he was found by felllow policewoman Ebina Maiko). First here are the casts:

Nakai Masahiro - ATARU/Chokozai

Kuriyama Chiaki - Ebina Maiko

Kitamura Kazuki - Sawa Shunichi

I love the cast. Nakai is genius in his role as the weird one. His character is someone who has 'savant syndrome'. This piece of information is retrieved from wikidrama as it has yet to be revealed in the drama itself. Anyways, Ataru speaks very little, doesn't make eye contact with people (something similar to autistic people) but has far more advanced mind than any of us. He picks up things fast especially those that attracts him and somehow this has been advantageous to 'commercial' but determined detective, Ebina. Lucky for her to stumble upon him at the crime scene.

Ebina has been labeled as a 'commercial policewoman' among her comrades because she appears in their commercials and dramas, some sort of a mascot. Though she is considered famous, she's not highly accepted in the men's world. To make things simple, she suffers from 'career sexism' as has been portrayed tonnes of times in Japanese dramas. However, an explosion case deemed as accident tingled her curiosity and nothing can stop her from pursuing the truth. Not even her boss, Sawa is able to do anything. In fact, I find him sweet for backing her up to investigate the case further, even though he is at risk of resigning if she fails.

And because of this case, she meets Ataru/Chokozai. Ataru is seen in the opening scene with probably his handler, but then wanders off when the handler went someplace else. We're still unsure of Ataru's real identity except for bits and pieces of his childhood memories. What kind of organisation took him in and what exactly is Ataru capable of? What is his true illness that makes him capable of storing so much data/information in his mind? For example, he's able to identify the vehicle model just by looking at the tire skid marks!

Although Ebina has lots of trouble trying to communicate with Ataru, they do make a good team. You gotta watch the first episode to know their kind of chemistry. And not to mention, I really like the addition of Kitamura Kazuki too! He was in SPEC Sho and brilliant there with his gangsta character.

There are some comic scenes which are so random they leave you thinking huh? for a while afterwards and sometimes they remind me of SPEC kind of comedy. Not sure if Kuriyama is able to deliver comedy as good as other actresses like you know, Juri (Nodame Cantabile) but I'll give her the benefit of doubt for now. That aside, I am going to continue this xD I really want to find out who exactly is Ataru!

Rating: 8/10

SPEC Sho [Special Drama]

SPEC Shou is back with its wittiness and eccentric plot. Erika Toda and Ryo Kase are back together as a team in the Unidentified Crimes Unit of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (such a long name!). A mysterious murder of one SPEC holder occurred which triggered their radar to suspect something weird was going on. Who wouldn’t be suspicious if the suspect was wearing all black and having the power of teleportation, not to mention, with his/her face covered magically. Besides  Saya and Sebumi, another two newly demoted members join in their group. The case involves a student whose parents were killed in the attempt to murder Satori, a SPEC holder who can see through people’s mind.

Not going to spill all the beans to you, but watch it! Subs are available and if you’re a fan of SPEC series, you should not miss this. I like how random and just weird the acting was, like for example, the sucking of lemons by one of the SPEC holders in order for his premonition to work, and how Saya has to join hands with them, turn one round or enchanting weird wordings. But it is this whole quirkiness of the show that makes it engaging for audiences. Maybe not to all, but like I said, you just need to get used to the style of the show to be intrigued!

Just an observation: Fukuda Saki is in here too, for several short scenes. Because of her recent IS character that needed her to cut short her hair, she appeared in this SP with the exact same short hair too. And did I just see Hoshino Haru for the first few minutes? The way she talked, the way she acted were just like Haru. I'm thinking maybe they just decided to make a reference to Haru, whether intended or not, I leave it for you guys to decide.

Saya is probably one of those rare characters that don’t need to be all powdered up before a take, I even think that Erika Toda was having great fun playing Saya. Her hair is all over the place the whole way through, didn’t look like they even combed it lol…but that’s what makes the character interesting to watch. Then, we also have this partner who is too serious, not even a smile! So rigid but really, they make such a good team when put together in the screen xD.

We get to see Saya using a lot of her SPEC in this SP. Her ability to communicate with the dead SPEC holders can be quite helpful at times, and so we get the chance to see some of the previous characters in the drama. Having Youta appear around the end of the show is pleasant too.


Rating: 9/10 - Watching Saya, Sebumi and the bunch of weirdos are more than enough! What else do you want?

Youkame no Semi/ Rebirth [review]

Announcement: First off, to all my readers/random visitors xD, I'm sorry for the lack of update in the last few months, been too busy with my work, among other stuffs. Hence, the short hiatus. Well, I can't be sure that I'm going to continue with the pace I did back then (several posts per week), but I'll try to post some dramas/movies I think worth recommending or just sharing my thoughts on. And here, I present to you one such movie.

Youkame no Semi is about the journey of a young woman, Erina/Kaoru (Inoue Mao) who when she was still a baby, kidnapped by her father's illcit lover. The lover who couldn't give birth or win the father's heart, added with the fallout of their secret relationship, is played by Nagasaku Hiromi. Kiwako (Nagasaku) decided one day to abduct the baby Erina one rainy day while the parents were out and they began a four years journey hopping from one place to another. Erina was given the name Kaoru by Kiwako who initially wanted to name her daughter that.

As I'm trying not to spoil it too much (you can try to ignore the pictures below if you want to xDD), I'll make this short. The movie is divided into half. There's no clear line as the director decides to move back and forth throughout the movie, but still making it relatable to the present. It opens with two dialogues, one from the birth mother and another, Kiwako. Then, we were brought to the court scene where Kiwako was sentenced. Next, we see Erina as a young woman, working and living alone. We began to wonder why she is living alone and not with her parents? And that was soon answered. There's an apparent drift between her and the parents. Her estranged and distant father met up with her and tried to give her some money for support, but declined by her as she asked how is mother.

Although back with her real parents, there's no guarantee that it's happily ever after for them. The trauma brought conflicts to their lives and because Erina was confused between the two women, it's no surprise the condition arises.

Erina is then approached by a freelance reporter who tempted her to find out more about her past life with Kiwako, during the years when she was abducted, but believed that the woman was her mother. The flashbacks were beautifully depicted, I do believe that Erina or Kaoru felt more happiness then than the present. It's ironic when you think about it, but sometimes, things just turn out that way.

To know the rest of the story, watch it! I still can't find the English subtitle for this movie, but I'd strongly recommend everyone to give this a chance. If not for the plot, then go for the amazing performances given by both Inoue Mao as the emotionally conflicted woman and Nagasaku Hiromi as the loving and caring mother but at times, seen as slightly delusional for her crime. From what I've read, this movie won about 10-11 awards in the 35th Japan Academy Prize, well deserved I'd say. And congratz to both Mao and Hiromi for grabbing the Best Actress/Supporting Actress. Although Inoue Mao is the lead, I sometimes feel that Hiromi gave a much more outstanding performance and kinda outshine Mao. But that's not to say Mao isn't great, I think this is the first time I've seen her in a dramatic role. She did a good job, nonetheless. 

The only thing that disappoints me upon finishing the whole 2 and half hours movie (pretty long but worth watching) is the fact that Hiromi and Mao don't even have one scene together in the movie. I was hoping for Erina to probably meet Kiwako (you know how they do in Mother drama), but they didn't, shattered my heart a little there. And please get ready a box of tissue nearby. You'll need it!

Rating: 9.5/10